Device for causing vehicle signal lights to flicker



March 15, 192?!) DEVICE FOR CAUSING VEHICLE SIGNAL LIGHTS TO FLICKER Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 15 1927 s. GOBOS DEVICE FOR CAUSING VEHICLE SIGNAL LIGHTS TO FLICKER Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J 1 1f!!! .fllrllarlll Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

STEFAN GOBOS, OF CI-IICAGQ, ILLINOKS.

DEVICE FOR CAUSING VEHICLE SIGNAL LIGHTS 'TOFLICKER.

Application filed February 9", 1925;

The present invention has for its object to produce a simple and novel mechanism for causing a light to flash intermittently du'ringzi'the'time ashaft is rotating and to aiburnsteadily whenever the shaft is at rest.

The invention is particularly applicable forthe control of tail lights of automobiles, in'orderto cause the tail lights to flash when the. automobiles are running and to burn in steadily when they are standing still; thus apprising those behind such automobiles whether or not the latter are in motion or at rest However, the invention may also be used in other situations;

The'various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter'be'pointed out with particularity in the'claims; but, for a fullunderstanding of my inventionand of its objects and advanso tages, reference may be had to the following" detailed description taken in connection with 2 the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is an elevation of my improved device,- with a sideor cover removed; Figs.

2 and3'are views-similar to Fig. 1, showing different positions of the parts; Fig. i is a section taken-approximately on line l-i of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 isan inside vie-w ofthe side wall= appearing in Figs. 1 to 3, showing the switch mounted on such wall; Fig. 6 is a diagramcf connections and-Fig. 7 is a view similarto-Figs; 1 to 3, showing. a modification.

Referring to the first six figures of the drawings, 1 representsa casing of any suitable size and sha pe havingcin one of the side walls a block ofinsulation 2. Mounted on theinsulatingzmember 2, so asto lie within the casing, is the switch to control the light circuit. It shouldbe'understood that while, for thesake of brevityzlshall'herein refer to this circuit as being one to control a light, it may control any other signal or alarm, and I intend that the word light shall include alsoother signalsand alarms. The

switch comprises a stationary contact 3 having a post or stem i extending through the insulating block and serving as a binding post; together with a movable switch arm 5, best shown in Fig. 5, this arm being pivoted at the middle, as indicated at 6. A

spring 7 tends constantly to hold one end of the switch arm against the stationary contact 8. On the opposite end of the arm is a roller 8. The spring may conveniently be anchored to a post 9 having a stem 10 ex- Serial 160; 7,779.

tending through the insulating block and serving as the second'binding post or terminal. When the switch is closeththe current passesthrougha lamp ll fiOlflZL source of current supplyl2,as indicated in the diagram, Fig. 6.

The switch is adapted to be opened by means of a swinging shelf 13 underlying the roller; the shelf being supported on one end of an aria-1i pivot-ally connected, as indicated at 15, to the wall of th'e casing oppo site'thaton which the switch is mounted. When the member 1% is swung up, the shelf thereon engages the roller and opensthe switch. Arranged above the member let is a cylinder 16, pivotally connectedaas at 17, to the member 14. ll ithin'the cylinder: is a plunger or piston 18' having a rod 19 whose upper end is connected with a crank 20on a transverse crankshaft 21.. On the crank shaft is aworm wheel 22. worm wheel is a worm-23 forming part of or secured to a rotatable driving shaft 24. It will of course be understood that the worm and worm wheel. are simply illustrative of driving connections in general between the shaft 2% and-the crankshaft.

hen the shaft- 2et. which may be rotated in the same way that the speedometer shaft of an auton'iobile is rotated, is turning, it will slowly rotate the crank shaft, thus drawing the piston'up.- Vhile the piston is loose in the cylinder, yetit is sufficiently tight to cause a partial vacuum to be producechunderneaththe same in the cylinder, as the piston rises; thus causing the cylinder to rise. Consequently;- when the crank shaft is in the position shown in Fig. 1. the piston be ing at the'lowermost' limit of its movement, the switch will be closed; and, when the crank shaft reaches the position shown in Fig. 2, the piston being at the upper limit of its movement, the cylinder will have been carried up far enough to force the movable switch member away from the stationary contact. In the one position of'the parts the circuit is closed and'the light burning, while inthe oth r'position,that shown in Fig. 2, the circuit is open and the light is out. While the automobile continues in motion, the piston will be reeiprocated, causing the cylinder to be alternately raised and lowered, and thus causing the light to flash. The switch is always opened against the resistance of the spring and therefore, whenever the driving shaft comes to rest, the spring Meshing with the i will slowly force the cylinder down until the switch is again closed. Thus, if the driving shaft comes to rest in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, the spring will gradually draw the cylinder down to the point indicated in Fig. 3, namely a point that permits the switch to be closed and remain closed. Thus the light will always be caused to burn when the automobile is standing still.

In Fig. 7 T have illustrated a modification. The movable member of the switch consists of an arm projecting laterally from a piston rod 31 projecting downwardly from a piston movable in a stationary vertical cylinder 33. Underneath the piston is a spring 3etthat tends constantly to force the piston up so as to cause the movable switch member to engage with the stationary contact- 35. In the upper end of the cylinder is a second piston This piston is connected, by means of a link 37, to one end of a rock lever 38, mounted in the casing above the cylinder. A spring 39 acts on the lever 38 in a direction tending to force the piston 36 down. The mechanism for rocking the lever against the resistance of the spring may consist of a cam 40 fixed to a suitable shaft 41, the cam and shaft il corresponding to the crank shaft in the other form. The shaft 41 is driven from the driving shaft 2%, conveniently through a worm 4:2 and worm wheel 43.

During the rotation of the shaft 41, while the automobile is running, the piston 36 is moved up and down. As it moves up, the spring 34 and the suction on the piston 32 cause this piston to rise and close the switch. lVhen the piston 36 moves down, the air is compressed between the two pistons until there is reached a pressure suiiicient to overcome the spring 3e, whereupon the piston 32 will beforced downand the switch opened. It will be seen that the piston 36, in the illustration, is at the lower limit of its movement, and that there is at this time aspace between it and the piston 32. Therefore, there being sufiicient looseness to permit air to pass loosely about the pistons, the spring 3% will always force the piston 32 up far enoughto cause the switch to close, whenever the automobile stops while the parts are in such positions that the switch is open. Conwith particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, with a slight modification, 1 do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mechanism for controlling a circuit comprising a switch, a member adapted to be moved from a position of rest through successive predetermined cycles, means associated with said member to cause the switch to open during each cycle and to permit the switch to close when said member comes to rest at any point in said cycle, andmeans yieldingly acting on the switch and tending constantly to close the same.

2. A mechanism for controlling a circuit con'iprising a switch, a member adapted to be moved from a position of rest through successive predetermined cycles, means associated with said member to cause the switch to open during each cycle and to permit the switch to close when said member comes to rest at any point in said cycle, and means yieldingly acting 011 the switch and tending constantly slowly to close the same.

3. A mechanism for controlling a circuit comprising a switch, a member movable from aposition of rest through successive predetermined cycles, means tending constantly slowly to close said switch, and means associated with said member and cooperating with the aforesaid means to cause the switch to open during each cycle and permit the switch to close when said member comes to rest at any point in said cycle.

at. A mechanism for controlling a circuit comprising a switch, a spring tending constantly to close said switch, a movable dash pot having one element thereof connected to the movable member of the switch, a shaft adapted to be rotated, and a connection between said shaft and the second element of the dash pot to cause the dash pot to be moved back and forth alternately to open and close the switch while the shaft rotates and to permit the spring to close the switch slowly whenever the shaft comes to rest in such an angular position that the switch isopen.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

STEFAN GOBOS. 

